IPL 2022, MI vs LSG: Desperate Mumbai Indians face Lucknow Super Giants in bid to arrest sharp slump

Five-time champs run into confident LSGThey say a captain is only as good as his team. Rohit Sharma, Mumbai Indians captain will vouch for that. Yet to lose a game for India after being formally appointed as full-time captain in November, he has overseen five defeats while leading Mumbai Indians (MI) in IPL 14. When he walks out to the toss alongside India Test and T20 opening partner KL Rahul, who will be leading Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 26 at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday, he will subscribe to the theory even more, especially as he looks and sees familiar faces like Quinton de Kock and Krunal Pandya in the rival camp.

De Kock, the South African 'keeper-bat was a notable name the five-time champions chose to release and didn't buy back. Krunal played useful cameos lower down the order and in the event of quick wickets, used to bat higher and acted like a circuit-breaker. His left-arm-spin too was mighty effective, especially once the tracks started getting tired (a performance to note was the 2017 IPL final). Rahul looked listless as a leader while captaining Punjab Kings in the last two seasons and despite enjoying a productive time with the bat, his team underperformed. As captain of LSG though, he knows he is now leading a side with battle-hardened players who adapt to situations, a trait MI had in abundance in seasons gone by. It has also liberated him as opener and emboldened him to own the powerplay, something he was hesitant to do for Punjab and was rightly criticised.

Lack of intent and urgency in the middle overs, an underperforming captain, usually the talisman when he turns up for India and profligacy with the ball from overs 16 to 20 and lack of strike power support for the ever-reliable